Jan 9 Mom-Courage

My daughter just received two Grammy nominations. I'm as thrilled as any mother would be, but honestly, I'm not surprised at all. I'm not surprised because from the time she was little I knew my daughter was on this earth for a reason and with a divine purpose. She was here, not randomly or by chance, but to change the world.

Your child is here to change the world too!

You feel it, I know you do, you feel it deeply. You know there's something special about your child. You know you’ve been given a precious gift and your child has a unique destiny and divine reason for being here. Your heart longs for and dreams of their future and God drops little hints as the years go by. Little inklings of purpose and destiny.

But the feeling can fade as the everyday stresses of life–money, work, health, more children–pile up.

What you need is a special something to keep the dream alive.

What you need is Mom-Courage.

Mom-Courage does three things:

It encourages our hearts to press deeply into God to learn just what kind of life He’s designed for our child.

It necessitates a commitment to dream big in order to see that God-designed life come to pass.

It will ask us to cultivate vision for the long haul, the marathon not the sprint.

We must listen ever-so-closely for God’s heart.

Because what He whispers today will one day be shouted for all the world to hear!

I wasn’t surprised by those two Grammy nominations because God whispered possibility to me when my daughter was just a teenager. What He whispered to my heart back then, He’s shouting to the world now. He planted a tiny seed of belief years ago and I watered it with much faith, prayer, blood, sweat, and tears. I tell the full story in my book, Growing Great Kids.

What’s Mom-Courage? Simply believing with all your heart in your child’s future. Believing your child has a world-changing destiny. Teaching your child to live like they mean it and to take hold of their future as if their lives matter. Mom-courage requires you to raise your child believing and then doing all you can to bring their God-breathed destiny to pass.

When our daughter was young, my husband and I were fairly certain she was called to the arts. We didn’t know exactly where she would end up so we started her in ballet when she was four. She danced for twelve years and during that time, she began acting and voice lessons, did lots of professional theatre, and as a young teen, learned to play guitar and started writing songs.

We encouraged her pursuits and were intentional to expose her to all facets of the performing arts and in time, God narrowed her focus to music and He began whispering things to my heart. Big things. Scary things. The kind of big you don’t share with your friends for fear they’ll think you’re either A: crazy. Or B: you think way too highly of your kid! So we didn't share the God-whispers but held them close, spoke them over her life, and helped her continue to follow her dreams. We set the bar high and encouraged her to walk through each new door as it opened. And God opened some mighty big doors.

Don’t be afraid to believe the impossible! Dig deep with God. Pray. Call out your child’s gifts. Speak life to their dreams! Remind them they’re here to make a difference!

What does Mom-Courage look like?

Mom-Courage gives children every opportunity to develop their gifts.

Mom-Courage speaks life to their dreams.

Mom-Courage sets the bar high and expects excellence.

Mom-Courage doesn’t let setbacks push them off track.

Mom-Courage invests financially (to the best of your ability) in their future.

Mom-Courage prays diligently to stay in tune with God’s heart for her child.

Mom-Courage knows if one door closes, another will open.

God is always on the lookout for impossible dreamers, the one’s who’ll take a tiny seed of belief, plant it deep in the soil of faith and carefully tend it as it grows.

If you’re faithful in this, I promise you, what He whispers to your heart today will one day be shouted to the world!

But only if you step out, take the plunge and develop Mom-Courage!

How can I pray for you?

Kate’s an ‘empty nester’ who’s been married to Mike for 30 years. She’s the mother of recording artist Francesca Battistelli and Mimi to Franny’s two children, Eli and Audrey Jane.
Kate loves creating and sharing easy recipes using whole foods and organic ingredients and writing about and pondering the goodness of God. She’s the author of Growing Great Kids-Partner with God to Cultivate His Purpose in Your Child’s Life, published by Charisma House and she blogs about food and faith at KateBattistelli.com. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. Her second book, The God Dare, is coming soon.

Kate’s an ‘empty nester’ who’s been married to Mike for 30 years. She’s the mother of recording artist Francesca Battistelli and Mimi to Franny’s two children, Eli and Audrey Jane.
Kate loves creating and sharing easy recipes using whole foods and organic ingredients and writing about and pondering the goodness of God. She’s the author of Growing Great Kids-Partner with God to Cultivate His Purpose in Your Child’s Life, published by Charisma House and she blogs about food and faith at KateBattistelli.com. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. Her second book, The God Dare, is coming soon.